1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the canoe seat industry and, more particularly, to a low centroid canoe seat support. The low centroid canoe seat support maintains a standard, rotatable boat seat having padded posterior support and padded back support, such that the centroid of a rider is positioned sufficiently low in the canoe to resist capsizing effects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many canoe seats and canoe seat supports have been developed in the past in an attempt to balance opposing goals of canoe stability and rider comfort. As the centroid, or center-of-mass, of the rider is raised to a position comfortable for the rider, the canoe becomes less stable and more conducive to capsizing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,285 discloses a canoe backrest which is removably supported by the gunwales of the canoe and provides back support to the rider. However, this system requires the posterior of the rider to rest on the hull of the canoe. While this keeps the centroid of the rider sufficiently low, the rider is uncomfortably situated.
Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,825 discloses a canoe seat which provides for posterior support of the rider in a low centroid position, but fails to provide the rider with the comforts of back support.
Presently, Coleman markets a canoe rider support device which is marketed as the xe2x80x9cStadium/Boat Seat Back.xe2x80x9d This device attaches to an existing seat of a Coleman canoe and provides both posterior and back support. However, the rider is limited to using the seat back on a Coleman canoe and has no options to customize the canoe seat or seat back to his or her comfort and mobility needs.
For these reasons, it would be advantageous to have a canoe seat support which is compatible with a boat seat having a standard post, allowing the rider to utilize any seat that achieves the comfort and mobility requirements of the rider, while also resisting capsizing events.
A preferred embodiment of the low centroid canoe seat support in accordance with the present invention comprises an aluminum support that is affixed to the gunwales of a canoe. The support includes a horizontal member and two vertical members rigidly attached to the horizontal member. The vertical members are attached to the gunwales of the canoe such that the horizontal member is positioned below the gunwales of the canoe and above the hull of the canoe. The low centroid canoe seat support in accordance with the present invention also includes a cylindrical standard post receiver affixed to the horizontal member of the support and connectable with any seat having a standard post. The standard post receiver is positioned to support the weight of the seat and canoe rider below the gunwales of the canoe to promote operating stability and above the hull of the canoe to provide comfort to the rider.